Address to the Global Water Partnership (GWP)'s Consulting Partners Meeting 2009, on the subject of how water is the main medium through which climate change has impact.

1. The Climate Challenge:
COP-15 and beyond
Mike Muller & Simon Thuo
Input to gwp
GWP consulting Partners Meeting
Stockholm August 2009

2. Why Now? COP-15 is a landmark
• COP-15 to focus on Climate Change mitigation
• Yet water is the medium through which climate
change will have most impact
• Focus will eventually shift to adaptation
• So it is important that GWP should understand and
address the adaptation agenda
• TEC background paper is an attempt to do this

3. Climate change: key issues for water and GWP
• Water is a key medium through which the
impact of climate change will be felt
– Physical and Environmental
– Social and Economic
• But other challenges include
– Economic growth and rising living standards
– Population
– Energy and technology
• And the information base is weak

4. Water management, security and adaptation
Early impacts and essential responses
• Objective: water security
– Access to water for growth and development
– Freedom from threats of drought and flood
• IWRM offers “development with resilience”
• Need more resources for “adaptive IWRM”
• Address immediate development needs
today, build resilience for tomorrow
• 3 I’s for 3 E’s (info, institutions and infra)

5. Challenges for the water sector
• Will adaptation become the new focus (and
will IWRM be last year’s fashion?)
• NAPA vs IWRM plans vs “Aid effectiveness”
• Adaptation funds are a potential source of
IWRM support
• Avoid “fragmentation”, need core support

6. GWP
Niccolo Machiavelli on The Prince
 Prudent princes who have to regard not only
present troubles, but also future ones,
 they must prepare with every energy, because…. in affairs
of state… when the evils that arise have been foreseen
(which it is only given to a wise man to see), they can be
quickly redressed, but when, through not having been
foreseen, they have been permitted to grow in a way that
every one can see them, there is no longer a remedy.

7. GWP
Towards Copenhagen 2009
 Sharm el Sheikh Heads of State Decision &
Commitment
 Need of infrastructure to reduce water disaster & risk
 IWRM, water for food security, ensure equitable and
sustainable use of shared waters
 Regional agencies initiate dialogue on CC adaptation
 Focus in Kyoto and after was on mitigation- carbon trade,
reduced emissions reforestation…..
 New emphasis on adaptive capacity
 What to do in Land and Water???
 Copenhagen, Hanoi, Bamako consensus on five items

8. GWP
 Copenhagen November 13, 2008
 Holistic approach in recognition of the interconnectedness of land and water management systems
and the complexity of adaptation needs.
 Knowledge- based adaptation measures should be knowledge-based.
 The role of women perspective on women and gender equality
 Financing for adaptation is a key element in the COP15 negotiations.
 Adaptive capacity should be built to enable response in land and water management systems
 Integration of all adaptation measures are integrated thoroughly into national policy
 Hanoi January 19-21 2009
 Comprehensive- Bottom-Up meets Top-Down
 Resilience- for ecosystems and livelihoods
 Knowledge & Information sharing- impacts, vulnerability, good practise
 Economics & Financing- including costs of non-action
 Bamako February 24-25 2009
 Adaptation in a development context
 Governance and institutional strengthening- clear mandates, subsidiarity
 Financing
 Knowledge and capacity development
 Nairobi, April 16-17 2009
 Resilience key, Partnership between research, government civil society, media.
 Spatial scale: transboundary/regional, national, local governance, community to household

9. GWP
Next Steps
 AMCEN, AU have made a Common African Position. In
November 9-13; Joburg- what is water interest? 52
Ministers (maybe 5 African Heads of State & some G8)
 CoP 15- GWP- wide alliance with key negotiators. Track
what is still possible
 By Dec 2009- TEC explores outcomes, identifies
opportunities and approach. Sec, Regions generate
proposals building on CoP15 & strategy….
 Work with others, span continents, but watch out

10. GWP
Next Steps
 AMCEN, AU have made a Common African Position. In
November 9-13; Joburg- what is water interest? 52
Ministers (maybe 5 African Heads of State & some G8)
 CoP 15- GWP- wide alliance with key negotiators. Track
what is still possible
 By Dec 2009- TEC explores outcomes, identifies
opportunities and approach. Sec, Regions generate
proposals building on CoP15 & strategy….
 Work with others, span continents, but watch out